Steele County Times

News

Three veterans were gifted handmade quilts as a token of appreciation from the Quilts of Valor Foundation.
Quilter Martha Waddell of Northfield not only worked on the quilts herself, but she was able to wrap the finished quilt around the shoulders of the three veterans at the VFW Auxiliary meeting...

After 8,649 votes were tallied, Owatonna School district’s $77.9 million bond referendum has been passed. The results were 57.3% yes and 42.7% no.
Out of the eleven ward and precincts, only one leaned towards no. The rural votes swung 33.4% yes. Though a few were close, all of the other ward and...

The empty rooms, hallways and lounges of the closed Cedarview Nursing Home complex on South Cedar Street served an important purpose for the South Central Drug Investigation Unit (SCDIU), as it conducted private training exercises.
The second floor of the empty nursing home served the unit a space...

Envision a green machine that has four tracks and will give farmers the versatility they need in a field tractor on tracks.
“This is a big deal and one of the biggest promotions of John Deere in recent history,” said Owatonna Ag Power regional sales manager Kevin Hansen. “It’s a tractor that our...

The New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva (NRHEG) High School band earned recognition at the Waseca Marching Classic earlier this September but, members of the band also earned something even more valuable: the respect of their new band teacher, Jacob Bender.
Bender began his first year as NRHEG’...

The judicial system is taking domestic violence more seriously than it has in the past generation or two, according to Steele County Attorney Dan McIntosh. However, he also said that domestic violence incidents continue to slightly increase.
“The perception of domestic violence is that it is just...

Margaret and Mitchell Jones aren’t just best friends; they’re also twins. Last week, their Homecoming celebration became doubly meaningful when the two were crowned Blooming Prairie’s Homecoming Queen and King together.
“We thought it might be close between a few people,” said Margaret, referring...

She’s had her life threatened, she’s suffered physical abuse and she’s lost two human beings prematurely.
Herminia Becker of Owatonna has endured years of domestic violence at the hands of two different husbands. During a recent interview that at times became emotionally charged, Becker shared how...

A 29-year-old man is recovering in the hospital after being shot early Friday morning in Owatonna.Police responded to a shooting at 140 32nd Ave. NW in Owatonna around 1:13 a.m. Friday. About 45 minutes later, officers received information that a gunshot victim related to the original address was...

Each day we make decisions. Some are good, others are not. And then there’s the decisions that affect the lives of others.
On the morning of Friday, Sept. 18, Richard Olsen, of Spring Grove, began a day much like any other. He got ready for the day and reported to work in Blooming Prairie, where...